Culture · 50 of the best in Budapest
The Opera House and the Liszt Academy: a city of music
The back story
About The Opera House and the Liszt Academy: a city of music
Budapest is one of Europe’s great music cities, home of Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and two of its finest buildings are temples of music: the Hungarian State Opera House and the Liszt Academy.
The Opera House
Miklós Ybl’s neo-Renaissance Opera House on Andrássy Avenue opened in 1884, with a gilded auditorium and frescoes by Károly Lotz. After a major restoration it reopened in 2022.
The Liszt Academy
Franz Liszt founded the Academy of Music in 1875. Its home on Liszt Ferenc Square, opened in 1907, is a jewel of Art Nouveau, with a golden concert hall famous for its acoustics.
Liszt founded the academy that now bears his name.
A musical nation
Bartók and Kodály studied and taught at the Academy and collected Hungarian folk songs, and Budapest still has fine orchestras and a busy concert season, from the Opera to Müpa and the new House of Music.
Our advice: book a concert at the Liszt Academy and an opera or ballet at the Opera House; guided tours of both run during the day if you cannot get tickets.
Why it's on our list
- The Opera House
- Franz Liszt and his Academy
- Bartók and Kodály
- How to hear music
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Opera House and the Liszt Academy: a city of music before you go.